3 killed, 20 hurt as bus turns turtle

Three workers were killed and 20 others sustained injuries when the mini bus they were travelling in turned turtle at Shanthigudde near Bajpe on Sunday. 

The dead have been identified as Sanjay Kumar Yadav, 30, of Bihar, Jogeshwar Roy, 40, of West Bengal, and Manikchand, 41, of Uttar Pradesh. 

The workers employed by Punj Lloyd were being taken to the Labourers’ Colony in Konchadi around 1 pm. As many as 70 workers were travelling in the mini bus that had a capacity of just 32. The accident occurred when the driver took a sharp turn on the narrow road to give way for a lorry approaching from the opposite direction.

The overloaded bus crashed into an electricity pole by the side of the road and turned upside down. Three workers who were travelling on the footboard came under the wheels and died on the spot.

The injured were shifted to a private hospital with the help of locals. Of the 20 labourers who sustained injuries, the condition of one person is said to be critical.

A senior police officer said: “The magnitude of the accident would have been less if the bus was not overloaded and if the driver was not speeding.”